The 7 molds are now completed with all the required marks on them. The transom has been splined and glued up an ready to be planed flat. The inner and outer stem pieces are squared up and need the bevels roughed in. I tried to laminate the knees but even at 3/16 thickness they broke. I think I will go with sawn knees in oak or mahogany.

Today dec 22 I began building the Auk. This is a 7 foot 9 glued lap streak dinghy designed by Ian Oughtred. Here is a picture of what these look like. I will be building a rowing/skuling version of this with two rowing positions.

Above you will see pics of the jig I used to laminate the inner stem with 3/16 white oak. Also I built the first two station molds. I will use the strong back that I built the shellback on.

The galley was the focus of upgrades this winter togeather with the retiring of the new DC panel and a face plate for the radios and GPS. I hope also to move the instrument panel for the engine to a more visible location. The diesel injector that was leaking was removed and we are waiting for a new copper washer to reinstall. Here are some pictures of the projects.

Nat spent about 2 hours aloft in the summer putting the radome in place and securing the wire to it.

Near the end of the season. Ready for haul out. Mom painted this picture and it is now in our living room.

Starting to take the galley apart.

First big job was to build a good workbench. I always have wanted one of these. It makes working a piece of wood so much easier.

Pulled out the battery and sent it in to Clear Power for testing. Got a call back from the Rolles/surrette people and it looks like they are going to either replace some bad cells or perhaps the whole battery.

A caddy for the plates and bowels. This will go above the counter on the port side.

AT THE EASTERN side of the entrance to Somes Sound, in a setting of great natural beauty, Northeast Harbor is one of Maine’s major yachting centers. Still reflecting its history as the playground of affluent society, the harbor has the elegant Asticou Inn and a wonderful armada of pleasure craft, with a working fleet of lobsterboats mixed in. The best large harbor in the Mount Desert area, Northeast makes it very easy for the yachtsman: services are concentrated on the waterfront, stores deliver, and the town is water-oriented.

This is the homeport of the missionary vessel Sunbeam V, affectionately dubbed by some as “God’s tugboat,” which brings religious services and practical help to many of the isolated islands of the coast. The ferry to the Cranberry Islands operates from here, and so do several natural-history and whale-watching boats.

One of the treasures of Northeast Harbor is Asticou Terraces, gardens that are easy to reach by dinghy and not to be missed.

Approaches. Chart. Coming from west and south, approach through Western Way, between Great Cranberry Island and Mount Desert Island, starting at gong “1” off Long Ledge. The beginning of the narrower portion is marked by red-and-white bell “WW,” followed by a nun and a can marking shoal areas on each side. Thereafter, the passage is clear to the nun on Cow Ledge, which you leave to starboard, and red-and-white gong “SP,” marking the end of Western Way. Red bell “2,” west of Bear Island, should be left to starboard. After that, the entrance is wide and clear.

Coming from the east, pass north or south of East Bunker Ledge and run through Eastern Way, along the north shore of Sutton Island. Leave to starboard several red marks, the lighthouse on Bear Island, and red bell “2” at the entrance, and head north into the harbor.

Anchorages, Moorings. On the west side of the harbor, near the southern end, is the large town dock and marina. The inner portion is reserved for commercial use, but the outer finger floats are available to yachts, with 10 feet alongside at low. For dockage, check with the harbormaster (Ch. 09, 16, 68; 276-5737) or look for him in his gray office at the head of the pier. Moorings are available on a first-come, first served basis.

The town rents about 50 moorings, identified by bright green pickup buoys and three-digit numbers on the float. They vary in weight. Boats 40-50 feet should use 400-series moorings, boats 30-40 feet should use the 300 series, boats 20-30 feet should use the 200 series, and boats less than 20 feet should use the 100-series moorings. Either pick up one and check in with the harbormaster or call in advance and have one assigned. Another 25 boats can be accommodated on floats moored in the harbor. The town mooring agent will come by to collect the fee.

If the town moorings are all taken, additional moorings are sometimes available through Clifton’s Dock or the MDI Water Taxi (Ch. 16, 68; 244-7312).

All of the deep water in the inner harbor is full of moorings, and anchoring is not allowed. There appears to be space on the east side of the entrance, but it is exposed, and the bottom is hard clay.

Keep your eyes open. There is a lot of traffic around the town dock, including cruise boats and the Cranberry Islands ferry.

Getting Ashore. Yachtsmen should come in to the dinghy floats farthest north and parallel to the shore (The public float south of the town pier is intended for fishermen’s dinghies).

For the Boat. Northeast Harbor Marina (harbormaster Ch. 09, 16 or 68; 207-276-5737). The town dock here is one of the largest facilities of its kind, with many floats, parking spaces, open greens, and tennis courts. The dock is used by tour boats, ferries, fishing boats, and yachts, so traffic is heavy. Water and electricity are available at the public float (farthest south), where you can tie up for two hours, with 8 or 9 feet at low. They also have holding tank pump-out facilities. Packages will be held for cruisers. Address them to Northeast Harbor Harbormaster, P.O. Box 237, 18 Harbor Drive, Northeast Harbor, ME 04662.

Clifton Dock (207-276-5308). On the west side of the entrance to Northeast Harbor, Clifton Dock is a convenient spot to take on gas, diesel, water, or ice, with 22 feet alongside the fuel float. Pump-outs are also available.

Mount Desert Yacht Yard (207-276-5114). At the northwestern end of the harbor, the yard has moorings and dockage for its customers, but they are occasionally available to others. There is 6 or 7 feet alongside at low, with water and electricity but no fuel. The yard hauls with two boatlifts and a crane, and they can perform hull and engine repairs.

F.T. Brown (207-276-3329). Brown is an extensive hardware store on Main Street, with a serious boating department that stocks hardware, propane, charts, and marine supplies.

Hodgkins Marine Electronics (207-276-5090) is on Tracy Road, a few blocks from the waterfront.

For the Crew. Pay phones are right at the town dock. The Mount Desert Chamber of Commerce’s shingled “Yachtsman’s Building” (276-5040) is right by the marina, with showers available 24 hours a day (the key will be in the harbormaster’s office after hours), a reading room, a paperback book swap, and recent copies of The New York Times. They will even rent you towels and a hair dryer. The Chamber of Commerce handles reservations (and rents rackets and balls) for the public tennis courts near the marina, and they have literature available describing the nearby attractions. If you need to get to them, they can rent you a car.

Sea Street leads from the waterfront up to the Main Street in town. A takeout on the way has block ice and ice cream, something our kids don’t let us forget.

Turn right on Main Street and you will find the post office, the full-service Shirt Off Your Back Laundry (276-5611), and Brown’s Hardware. A new restaurant, 151 Main, serves eclectic cuisine by Browns.

Turn left on Main for the Pine Tree Market (276-3335). Pine Tree is everything a good market should be—creaking floors and sweet smells from the bakery, a good butcher, wine and fine cheese, fresh produce, liquor, and ice. And they will deliver to the dock. The coin-op Downtown Laundry Cellar is beneath the market.

Sadly, the classic, old-world Stanley’s Fish Market is no more. Nor is the elegant Redfield’s restaurant. Farther down Main you will find Sherman’s bookstore and McGrath’s newsstand, which sells The New York Times. The Colonel’s Bakery, pizzeria, and restaurant (276-5147) is also a wine and cheese shop, and they will deliver to the docks. Wikhegan Books is over Pine Bough Antiques, on Main at the head of Sea Street, and carries rare and out-of-print Mount Desert Island and nautical titles.

Mount Desert Medical Center (276-3331) is on Kimball Road at the south end of town.

Things to Do. Beal & Bunker, Inc. offers a variety of sightseeing cruises starting from the waterfront, including an evening cocktail cruise and another with an Acadia Park naturalist on board. Sign up at the waterfront booth (244-3575). They also run the mailboat trips to the Cranberry Islands. The Delight, a 32-foot antique open launch, provides water-taxi service to the outlying islands (244-5724).

Maine Whalewatch (276-5803) makes a full-day trip out to Mount Desert Rock with a naturalist, looking for finback and humpback whales, porpoises, and many species of seabirds.

A visit to Thuya Lodge and Gardens in Asticou Terraces is unforgettable. Take your dinghy in to the float of the pink-granite Asticou Landing, at the northeastern part of the harbor. Follow the path to the main road and cross on the crosswalk.

Rustic paths lead upward past terraces and gazebos designed by Joseph Henry Curtis (1841-1928) “for the quiet recreation of the people of this town and their summer guests.” The small formal garden is a delight for botanist and gardener alike, and there is a rare botanical book collection in the lodge. From the gardens, a leisurely trail leads to Eliot Mountain, or you can follow the park trails east a couple of miles to Jordan Pond House.

The small but elegant Great Harbor Maritime Museum is right in town in the old fire house. Their exhibits feature local maritime history and boatbuilding greats.

If you are socked in by bad weather, visit the charming public library. The Milliken Room is devoted entirely to books about
Northeast Harbor Bike Shop rents bikes. They are set back off Main Street across from Stanley’s Fish Market, and the trails of Acadia are nearby.

Northeast Harbor is on the loop of the free Island Explorer shuttle bus for exploring the rest of Mount Desert and Acadia. The bus stops right at the harbormaster’s office. For taxis call Airport Taxi (667-5995).

We plan to leave St. Andrews on June 26 to head to Rogue island
We will have to clear in to the USA at Eastport first thing.

It is 45 miles away. Should take 8 hours.

Here is what the Taft cruising guide says.

FOR a long time, Roque Island has been the ultimate goal of sailors cruising Down East—perhaps because of its beautiful, mile-long white sand beach, perhaps because there is the sense of something special about this island, perhaps because it takes determination to sail east of Schoodic and Petit Manan.

Roque is the centerpiece of an archipelago that includes Great and Little Spruce, Lakeman, Marsh and Bar, Double Shot, Anguilla, and Halifax Island—all set in a body of water called Chandler Bay to the west and Englishman Bay to the east. Shaped roughly like an H, the Roque archipelago offers a delightful variety of anchorages. The great southern beach on Roque Harbor is the most familiar. Lakeman Harbor to the east, surrounded by Lakeman, Marsh, and Bar Island, provides a secure anchorage. Tiny, landlocked Bunker Cove is to the west. Another sand beach curves around Shorey Cove, on the north side of the island.

Indians were the earliest-known summer inhabitants of Roque, and numerous shell heaps have been studied here by archaeologists. Joseph Peabody acquired Roque in 1806, and for almost two centuries the island has served as a resort and retreat for his descendants, the Gardner and Monks families. The old family buildings and farmhouses, red and yellow, are on the eastern side of Squire Point, overlooking Shorey Cove. There is a private boatyard, with a dock, metal and woodworking shops, and a small fleet at the moorings. Boats are hauled by attaching a farm tractor to a great old anchor half-buried in the ground and winching them up the ways.
Roque is a working farm, and it is almost self-sufficient, with cattle, sheep, pigs, geese, chickens, pigeons, and other animals. Products of the island include milk, butter, eggs, wool, beef, pork, squab, raspberries, rhubarb, herbs, and vegetables. The caretaker and the owners take pride in both frugality and ingenuity, and the farm has some marvelous Rube Goldberg contraptions, including a continuous conveyor belt built from scrap material to cut, carry, and split firewood.

In summertime, it is not unusual to see family members traveling in a horse-drawn carriage. During the winter, the resident Clydesdales haul guests on old blue sledges. As John Peabody Monks said in his book Roque Island, Maine—A History: “The visitor to Roque forgets the urgencies of time and place.”

“Perroquet” is the French word for parrot, and it seems plausible that, as Samuel Eliot Morison suggests, Roque was named by the French explorers for the puffin, or sea parrot. Or perhaps the origin was “rogue,” considering the pirates who were based nearby.

When Joseph Peabody bought Roque, he made good use of it. First he built a tidal dam across Paradise Cove to power a gristmill and a sawmill. Several large vessels were built for him at a shipyard in the little bight at the mouth of Paradise Cove, just west of Point Olga. At one time, Peabody owned 63 ships and employed more than 3,000 men in his various shipping and trading

In 1868, John and Catharine Gardner sold Roque Island for reasons unknown. Ten years later, two of their sons bought it back for double the price, and the island has been in the family ever since. Shortly thereafter, the Gardners bought Great and Little Spruce, Lakeman, Anguilla, and the little Bar Islands. Double Shot was acquired in the 1930s.

A lumber mill once stood at the head of Patten Cove from which laths were shipped on coastal steamers to New York—about three million of them between 1926 and 1928.

There are lots of stories of life on Roque, both human and animal. Pigs were once allowed to roam free on the island, and it is reported that a particularly bright pig learned how to dig clams on the shore. Then there is the story of lobsterman Horace Dunbar, who enjoyed a party ashore with some visiting yachtsmen and had his share of liquor. Finally it was time to go, so Horace got in his skiff and started to row home. “Two hours later, he was found by more sober members of the party, still rowing steadily, with his boat’s painter attached to the wharf.”

A name has been chosen for the new boat. She will be christened Tevah when she islaunched this spring. Tevah is Hebrew for boat andalso means “word” and is used todesignate the pulpit or reading place in some synoguges

Two weeks ago I checked the comments on my blog and found that someone locally had seen that I was looking to switch to LPG from my CNG set up. He said that he had a stove in his basement and that I was welcome to it for free. I went and looked and it was identical to the one I have but set up for propane. Over the last couple of weeks I have scrounged parts from both stoves and now have a good working propane set up. Cooked a Baguette this afternoon!

Nav Station and Electrical new electrical switch panelInstall LEDs in cabin fixtures
mount ham radio and antenna
mount radar
Mount radar console
inspect and repair electrical system: inprogress removed sub panel and reassigned some circuits. Lots of fiddling around here.
relocate battery 1 completed nov 2011
locate and repair speed log located nov 1 2011 looks like it just needs to be cleaned of bottom paint! clean and test. Looked at this and tested good. Just need a piece of rg58 about 25 feet and some bnc connecters.
build nav seat. essentially a booster seat that brings me up to a comfortable working hight for the Nav Station.
get some solar panels
Add a wind generator (incorporate this into the design of the new stern rail.
sort our electrical panel work in progress as of november 2011
feed for auto helm completed october
broken and damaged wire starboard side near nav station. there is one three wire and one brown single that are broken here.
move ground for switch for bilge 1 so that it shows up on amp meter
install auto sw for bilge found that it was already there.
fix lite above cooler completed october 2011
fix port side lite aft of table completed october 2011
Fix speed log
relocate vhf radio to nav station
remove old radio
install ham radio and tuner and swr meter
install holders for antena

Galley Projects
build rack for wine glasses etc
build spice rack for main bulkhead
Insulate back of ice box
Repair rotted part of counter top and hold cover
Move drawer to starboard side under nav table
behind stove arrangement
ice box access and location of condenser
Make cutting board to fit in sinks, needs to be 12 by 16 and have a small ridge to hold in sink. Also should have a hole to scrape cuttings into sink. on container held under cutting board.
shelves under sink
build cupboards and or shelves behind and above stove.
build dividers for food storage starboard side
replace foot pump
Look for a compressor that would work with the condenser that i have.
Close off area behind galley and insulate/sound barrier
make new seals/cover for ice box
find a deeper sink . It would be good to still have two sinks, but with one that is substantially deeper.
make storage bin in counter top to left of sinks. this is currently wasted space.
move sliding doors from galley to port side shelf. This would make much more easy access in the galley as well providing additional space to store things out of site. The back of galley should be very carefully organized so as to not to include things needed when the stove is lit.
Convert stove over to LPG Nov 9 talked to tasco people. they advised that it would cost about 500 to do the conversion. this is cost prohibitive now. I think i will stay with the cng and look for sources. found out that i can get a fill in providence RI for $20

Engine and Mechanical

check and lubricate steering system
inspect and lubricate centerboard lanyard system
repair extra fuel tank and install in port quarter
insulate engine compartment
find oil leak in engine. Make safety sump Use USB camera to inspect
Power Wash engine compartment and paint
engine hours counter. Repair or replace
temp sensor and sender the sender was replaced in september
sensor still does not work. looks like i will need to create a separate circuit with an alarm for this
alternator. Repair internal regulator or replace e with external. Priced new one. On order November 2011

Main Cabin and Accommodations

make triangular cushion for v berth
build book case somewhere.
make finish moldings for inside
fix fiddles on table. Make deep fiddle for matress
Fit and install sliding doors on port side make curtains install valance and curtains